Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Organ in Pullman's Palace Sleeping Car Palmyra - musical instrument

From: p-wb@sbcglobal.net

My name is Paul-Wesley Bowen and I am a member of NorCalTOS (ATOS Bay Area Branch). We are avid followers of any kinds of organs, when, where, what (name or brand), physical features, i.e., how large/small or what kind, i.e., reed or pipe, and what happened (meaning did it survive), etc.

Directly below is a picture of a Pullman car called "Palmyra" – a stereograph of the interior which shows an organ in this car. One half of this picture was first seen for sale on eBay and was found to be part of the “Master Photographers, No. 45 - Another interior detail view of Pullman's Palace Sleeping Car "Palmyra"; Note the organ built into car; C.E. Watkins series”, Courtesy N.Y. Historical Society, Published by Lightfoot Collection, Huntington Sta., N.Y., 49650-C. In trying to research the above questions, I found the matching stereograph on your site. ... We are interested in the organ itself and are hoping that some way you might, just might, have some kind of reference materials regarding it.

It would be nice to know if 1) it was a reed organ or a harmonium (the other possible name for it, there being one in Yosemite Historic Village), and 2) did this car and its interior survive ... ? If anyone has any information regarding its present state, it would be of great interest to us to know these particulars.

Thanks you very much for any information you can share with us regarding the organ in this particular picture.